My name is Carlo DeVito, and I am the author of East Coast Wineries: A Complete Guide from Maine to Virginia published by Rutgers University Press. This blog is dedicated to primarily east coast wines and wineries including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It will also feature products and information from other regions.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Hudson Valley Art & Wine exhibit opening in Albany is scheduled for Wednesday, October 5 from 5-7pm at the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center, 25 Quackenbush Square. Parking and other info is on the attached invitation. The opening is for invited guests, so please feel free to pass the attached invitation to anyone you would like to have attend — friends, relatives, associates, press, etc. RSVP is requested but not mandatory. (The more the merrier!) Brookview Station Winery and Hudson-Chatham wineries will be present, along with wines from Millbrook. This is the last opening of the traveling exhibit and it will remain in Albany until the end of the year.

The new issue of Hudson Valley Wine magazine is out, and it contains the second part of the exhibit catalog.

From the Boardroom to the Barrel RoomTrump relaunches Virginia’s Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard.Published on Sep 8, 2011By Anna Lee C. IijimaReal estate magnate and TV personality Donald Trump has added winemaking to his résumé with his October 4 relaunch of the Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Kluge Estate was founded in 1999 by Patricia Kluge, a British socialite, out of a windfall divorce from her ex-husband, the communications mogul John W. Kluge. Through Kluge’s hands-on approach, the winery’s idyllic location and the use of notable consultants like Bordeaux’s Michel Rolland, Kluge Estate established a following for its Bordeaux-style reds and sparkling wines—including the SP Blanc de Blancs and SP Rosé, which were served at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding festivities in 2010.

The winery was roiled by years of financial trouble, and by 2010, banks had foreclosed on the estate and vineyards. Early in 2011, Trump, a longtime friend of Kluge, began to cobble together parcels of property. First, he purchased 200 acres surrounding the former Kluge mansion for less than $500,000 from a Kluge family trust. Then, in April, Trump obtained the estate’s 776 acres of vineyard along with the winery’s inventory and equipment for $7.9 million at auction, just a fraction of the $60-million appraised value.

Donald Trump’s son, Eric, who has been charged with operating the newly acquired estate, admits the initial attraction to Kluge Estate was the value of its real estate. “We got into the wine business almost by default,” he says, “but recognizing how good the wines were, we realized how sexy it could be for the brand as a whole.”

The winery’s tasting room was remodeled for the relaunch and plans for a golf resort and event venues are in the works. Rolland will remain a consultant and Kluge and her family will continue as employees. Kluge Estate’s most popular wines will be kept largely intact, but rebranding under the Trump name and an expansion of products and capacity are expected.

“We are believers in brands, and clearly we have an incredible one,” Eric Trump said. “Our top product will certainly be some sort of Trump label.

“Whether it be real estate ventures, or anything else,” he adds, “we only have five-star assets and are mindful about keeping everything absolutely first class.”

Join Unionville for a fun afternoon of Grape Stomping a la Lucy, Children's Activities, Wine Tasting, Vineyard & Winery Tours, Train Ride In The Vineyard Compliments of Rowe Electric , Great Food by Tigers Tale , Live Music with The AJC Band , Crafters, Local Artists, Pumpkin Painting, Book Signing by Author Bart Jackson and More!$15 Admission, $5 Under 21, Free for Under 5 YearsAnd Free for Designated Drivers

Saturday, October 8, 2011"Wine Harvest Day Camp"The Vine To The Glass All In a Day!8:30 AM to 1 PMAfter a light breakfast of caffeine and sugar, you will enjoy a peaceful morning of harvesting grapes and bringing them in to be crushed for winemaking, you will taste the fruits of our labor in the form of freshly squeezed wine grape juice followed by a deli lunch and wine tasting.$25 per guest, reservation and pre-payment required.Please call the winery at 908-788-0400 to make your reservation.

Take pleasure in Maryland wine with tastings from the wineries, live music, foods from local restaurants, arts and crafts and wine education seminars. Don't miss the presentation of the Governor's Cup Awards announcements on stage each day of the festival.

For information about Carroll County hotels and Bed and Breakfast sites visit www.CarrollCountyTourism.org or call 1-800-272-1933. Or the day of the festival, stop by the Tourism tent at the main gate for local information and/or directions back home.

The Maryland Wine Festival® is held rain or shine; no refunds will be given for advance ticket purchases. No pets or alcoholic beverages may be brought onto Museum grounds.

The Maryland Wine Festival® is hosted by the Carroll County Recreation and Parks, Carroll County Farm Museum & the Maryland Wineries Association

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About Me

Carlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He has been a published executive for more than 20 years. He shepherded the wine book program of Wine Spectator as well as worked with Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Matt Kramer, Tom Stevenson, Evan Dawson, Greg Moore, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He has also published Salvatore Calabrese, Jim Meehan, Clay Risen, and Paul Knorr.
Mr. DeVito is the inventor of the mini-kit which has sold more than 100,000,000 copies world wide. He has also publisher such writers as Stephen Hawking, E. O Wilson, Philip Caputo, Gilbert King, James McPherson, John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, David Margolick, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery, co-founder of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and president of the Hudson Valley Wine Country.
https://carlodevito.wordpress.com/